A History of Judaism

by Martin Goodman

it cannot be taken for granted that there was always a mainstream within Judaism and that other varieties of the religion were, and should be, seen as tributaries. The metaphors of a great river of tradition, or of a tree with numerous branches, are seductive but dangerous, for the most important aspects of Judaism now may have little connection with antiquity.

It will be evident that, although the structure and explicit purpose of Josephus’ history presupposed the continuity of the Jewish people from Abraham to his own day, it is likely that the distinctive national identity he took for granted had only emerged gradually in the course of centuries under the influence of many different cultures.

since the first fruits and the second tithe of agricultural produce from the land of Israel, or their monetary equivalent, were required to be consumed within the walls of Jerusalem. It is not surprising that the economy of Jerusalem was thus geared to exploitation of mass religious tourism, with numerous animals and birds on sale for private offering in the precincts surrounding the Temple site, alongside facilities for changing money into Tyrian shekels, the currency accepted by the Temple authority for donations. Nor should it surprise that those who provided such necessary services for a profit might be charged with turning a house of prayer into ‘a den of robbers’, as Jesus is said to have claimed, or that, although the religious requirement to attend fell on adult males alone, the festivals apparently attracted women and children in large numbers.

The underlying assumption of these laws is that all life, including human life, belongs to God and that a pious life must be structured so as to acknowledge this subservience.